How much physical activity do adults need?

Physical activity is anything that gets your body moving. According to the 2008 Physical
Activity Guidelines for Americans, you need to do two types of physical activity each week to
improve your healthaerobic and muscle-strengthening.

For Important Health Benefits

Usia dewasa 18 64 tahun membutuhkan :
2 jam 30 menit (150 menit) untuk aktivitas aerobik intensitas sedang (brisk walking)
setiap minggunya
2 hari atau lebih dalam seminggu untuk melatih kekuatan otot yang menggerakkan
semua kelompok otot utama (kaki, panggul, punggung, perut, dada, bahu dan lengan)

1 jam 15 menit (75 menit) untuk aktivitas aerobic intensitas tinggi (jogging atau running)
setiap minggunya.
2 hari atau lebih dalam seminggu untuk melatih kekuatan otot yang menggerakkan semua
kelompok otot utama (kaki, panggul, punggung, perut, dada, bahu dan lengan)

An equivalent mix of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity and

muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major
muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

10 minutes at a time is fine

We know 150 minutes each week sounds like a lot of time, but it's not. That's 2 hours and 30
minutes, about the same amount of time you might spend watching a movie. The good news is
that you can spread your activity out during the week, so you don't have to do it all at once. You
can even break it up into smaller chunks of time during the day. It's about what works best for
you, as long as you're doing physical activity at a moderate or vigorous effort for at least 10
minutes at a time.

For Even Greater Health Benefits

Older adults should increase their activity to:

5 hours (300 minutes) each week of moderate-intensity
aerobic activity and
muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week
that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back,
abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

More time equals more

health benefits
If you go beyond 300
minutes a week of
moderate-intensity activity,
or 150 minutes a week of
vigorous-intensity activity,
2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) each week of vigrous- you'll gain even more health
benefits.
intensity aerobic activity and
muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week
that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back,
abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

An equivalent mix of moderate- and vigorousintensity aerobic activity and

muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a
week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips,
back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

For more help with what counts as aerobic activity, watch this video:

Windows Media Player, 4:48

More videos

Aerobic activity what counts?

Aerobic activity or "cardio" gets you breathing harder and your heart beating faster. From
pushing a lawn mower, to taking a dance class, to biking to the store all types of activities
count. As long as you're doing them at a moderate or vigorous intensity for at least 10 minutes
at a time.
Intensity is how hard your body is working during aerobic activity.

How do you know if you're doing light, moderate, or vigorous intensity aerobic activities?
For most people, light daily activities such as shopping, cooking, or doing the laundry doesn't
count toward the guidelines. Why? Your body isn't working hard enough to get your heart rate
up.
Moderate-intensity aerobic activity means you're working hard enough to raise your heart rate
and break a sweat. One way to tell is that you'll be able to talk, but not sing the words to your
favorite song. Here are some examples of activities that require moderate effort:

Walking fast

Doing water aerobics

Riding a bike on level ground or with few hills

Playing doubles tennis

Pushing a lawn mower

Build up over time

If you want to do more vigorous-level activities, slowly replace those that take moderate effort
like brisk walking, with more vigorous activities like jogging.
Vigorous-intensity aerobic activity means you're breathing hard and fast, and your heart rate
has gone up quite a bit. If you're working at this level, you won't be able to say more than a few
words without pausing for a breath. Here are some examples of activities that require vigorous
effort:

Jogging or running

Swimming laps

Riding a bike fast or on hills

Playing singles tennis

Playing basketball

You can do moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or a mix of the two each week. A
rule of thumb is that 1 minute of vigorous-intensity activity is about the same as 2 minutes of
moderate-intensity activity.
Some people like to do vigorous types of activity because it gives them about the same health
benefits in half the time. If you haven't been very active lately, increase your activity level

slowly. You need to feel comfortable doing moderate-intensity activities before you move on to
more vigorous ones. The guidelines are about doing physical activity that is right for you.
For more examples, see Measuring Physical Activity.

Muscle-strengthening activities what counts?

Besides aerobic activity, you need to do things to

strengthen your muscles at least 2 days a week. These activities should work all the major muscle
groups of your body (legs, hips, back, chest, abdomen, shoulders, and arms).
To gain health benefits, muscle-strengthening activities need to be done to the point where it's
hard for you to do another repetition without help. A repetition is one complete movement of an
activity, like lifting a weight or doing a sit-up. Try to do 812 repetitions per activity that count
as 1 set. Try to do at least 1 set of muscle-strengthening activities, but to gain even more
benefits, do 2 or 3 sets.

More videos
Learn how to strengthen your muscles at home and in the gym.
You can do activities that strengthen your muscles on the same or different days that you do
aerobic activity, whatever works best. Just keep in mind that muscle-strengthening activities
don't count toward your aerobic activity total.
There are many ways you can strengthen your muscles, whether it's at home or the gym. You
may want to try the following:

Lifting weights

Working with resistance bands

Doing exercises that use your body weight for resistance (i.e., push ups, sit ups)

Heavy gardening (i.e., digging, shoveling)

Yoga

As an older adult, regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for
your health. It can prevent many of the health problems that seem to come with age. It also helps
your muscles grow stronger so you can keep doing your day-to-day activities without becoming
dependent on others.
Not doing any physical activity can be bad for you, no matter your age or health condition. Keep
in mind, some physical activity is better than none at all. Your health benefits will also increase
with the more physical activity that you do.
If you're 65 years of age or older, are generally fit, and have no limiting health conditions
you can follow the guidelines listed below.

For Important Health Benefits

Older adults need at least:
2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) of moderateintensity aerobic activity (i.e., brisk walking) every week
and
muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week
that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back,
abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

Need more help with the

guidelines?
Watch this video:

W
indows Media Player, 4:43
1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes) of vigorous-intensity More videos
aerobic activity (i.e., jogging or running) every week and
muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week
that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back,
abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

An equivalent mix of moderate- and vigorousintensity aerobic activity and

muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a

week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips,
back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

10 minutes at a time is fine

We know 150 minutes each week sounds like a lot of time, but it's not. That's 2 hours and 30
minutes, about the same amount of time you might spend watching a movie. The good news is
that you can spread your activity out during the week, so you don't have to do it all at once. You
can even break it up into smaller chunks of time during the day. It's about what works best for
you, as long as you're doing physical activity at a moderate or vigorous effort for at least 10
minutes at a time.

For Even Greater Health Benefits

Older adults should increase their activity to:
5 hours (300 minutes) each week of moderate-intensity
aerobic activity and
muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week
that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back,
abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).
2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) each week of vigrousintensity aerobic activity and
muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week
that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back,
abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

An equivalent mix of moderate- and vigorousintensity aerobic activity and

muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a
week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips,
back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

More time equals more

health benefits
If you go beyond 300
minutes a week of
moderate-intensity activity,
or 150 minutes a week of
vigorous-intensity activity,
you'll gain even more health
benefits.

For more help with what counts as aerobic activity, watch this video:

Windows Media Player, 4:48

More videos

Aerobic activity what counts?

Aerobic activity or "cardio" gets you breathing harder and your heart beating faster. From
pushing a lawn mower, to taking a dance class, to biking to the store all types of activities
count. As long as you're doing them at a moderate or vigorous intensity for at least 10 minutes
at a time. Even something as simple as walking is a great way to get the aerobic activity you
need, as long as it's at a moderately intense pace.
Intensity is how hard your body is working during aerobic activity.
How do you know if you're doing moderate or vigorous aerobic activity?
On a 10-point scale, where sitting is 0 and working as hard as you can is 10, moderate-intensity
aerobic activity is a 5 or 6. It will make you breathe harder and your heart beat faster. You'll
also notice that you'll be able to talk, but not sing the words to your favorite song.
Vigorous-intensity activity is a 7 or 8 on this scale. Your heart rate will increase quite a bit and
you'll be breathing hard enough so that you won't be able to say more than a few words without
stopping to catch your breath.

You can do moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or a mix of the

two each week. Intensity is how hard your body is working during aerobic activity. A rule of
thumb is that 1 minute of vigorous-intensity activity is about the same as 2 minutes of
moderate-intensity activity.
Everyone's fitness level is different. This means that walking may feel like a moderately intense
activity to you, but for others, it may feel vigorous. It all depends on you the shape you're in,

what you feel comfortable doing, and your health condition. What's important is that you do
physical activities that are right for you and your abilities.

Muscle-strengthening activities what counts?

For more information about strength training, visit Growing Stronger: Strength Training for
Older Adults.
Besides aerobic activity, you need to do things to make your muscles stronger at least 2 days a
week. These types of activities will help keep you from losing muscle as you get older.
To gain health benefits, muscle-strengthening activities need to be done to the point where it's
hard for you to do another repetition without help. A repetition is one complete movement of an
activity, like lifting a weight or doing one sit-up. Try to do 812 repetitions per activity that
count as 1 set. Try to do at least 1 set of muscle-strengthening activities, but to gain even more
benefits, do 2 or 3 sets.

There are many ways you can strengthen your muscles,

whether it's at home or the gym. The activities you choose should work all the major muscle
groups of your body (legs, hips, back, chest, abdomen, shoulders, and arms). You may want to
try:

Lifting weights

Working with resistance bands

Doing exercises that use your body weight for resistance (push ups, sit ups)

Heavy gardening (digging, shoveling)

Yoga